


Dead Horse

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Her Dark Works [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Betrayal, Character Death, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Graphic descriptions of violence, Smut, The Enchanted Forest, The Jolly Roger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 08:30:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5241644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan reveals her painful history with the Dark One along with many secrets about her past and family. Hook defends his ship when the Jolly Roger comes under attack.</p><p><strong>Her Dark Works</strong> takes place in an alternate universe where Emma Swan was born and raised in the Enchanted Forest. One day, things go horribly wrong, and she abandons her birthright and throne to seek revenge on the Dark One. What happens when a woman born to be the Savior of the Realm joins forces with the Vengeful Pirate of Neverland?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Second Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma explains her status as a royal and her history with the Dark One.

Emma Swan, or the Dread Pirate Emily as she had fashioned herself, floundered under the sudden change in Hook's demeanor. He had been menacing last night, but he had given her the opportunity to explain herself.

"I did tell you my name," she began.

"Aye, two names in fact. The royal lines of the Enchanted Forest have never had formal surnames. That's for common folk, like yours truly."

"I'm not a queen or a princess. I renounced all my titles when I came of age and took the surname Swan. That's widely known throughout the kingdoms."

"Is it? Perhaps I'm a bit behind the times, love. In circumstances like these, I'd usually claim ignorance because gossip bores me, but I find that a princess deciding not to be a princess would be rather alarming news. The kind that would reach my ears."

"It's been over a decade since."

"Last night, you were concerned that I'd not believe you. I imagine this has something to do with it."

"Everything to do with it, Captain."

"Perhaps because, had the Dark One actually cursed, killed, or banished any royal family, all the kingdoms would've retaliated. And there'd be no mistaking that news nor hiding it from me."

"I'm the only one who knows that he is the one responsible," she said quietly.

The man sitting across the table from her had declared war on the Dark One, so cruelly had that monster rendered loss onto him. How could she explain to him, of all people, that she had cowardly allowed the kingdom to believe a lie? She retreated into her head for safety for a moment. When she mustered her courage to look back up at Hook, his expression had softened.

"What were your parent's names, love?" he asked.

"King Charming and Queen Snow White," she replied. "Snow and David were my parents."

"Their passing was widely mourned. I was led to believe that they died during a battle with the Evil Queen. That your father was responsible for the blow that ended her reign of terror."

"That was a lie," she replied. "I lied about everything to protect my sister, my brother, and my kingdom."

* * *

**Three years ago...** Emma arrived at the garden outside the Dark Palace about an hour before dawn. She started in surprise when the sound of coughing and footsteps. She drew her sword.

"Emma, it's us," her mother said.

"Us?"

"Your mother, me, Neal, and Belle," her father replied.

"You can't be here!"

"It's not like I can stay at the Dark Castle," Belle said. "Rumpel will figure out that I warned you, if he hasn't already."

"Besides, our son is at sake, Emma, of course I came," Neal said as he hugged her.

"You can't come in with me," Emma said.

"I can and I will," Neal replied.

"I'll wait out here with the horses," Belle said. "And your parents. We'll be ready to ride off with you once you get Henry."

"I don't have time to argue," she replied. "You three... just, please, be ready to run."

"There's a secret door behind that tree. It looks like a boulder, but all you have to do is press your hand against it," Snow said. Then she added, "What? I used to live here."

Neal followed her to the secret door, and they pushed it open. Just as her mother said, the passage led inside the palace to the ballroom.

The Evil Queen had rearranged the room for spell casting on a grand scale, and in pride of place at the center of the room, there stood a mirror that pointed in every direction.

Emma hid behind one of the many ugly statues that adorned the walls. She turned back to Neal, who had ducked down where the passage let out.

He whispered back, "Send Henry to me, and I'll get him to your parents."

Relief washed over Emma. Neal had a habit of ignoring her warnings and nearly dying as a result, but it seemed that their son's peril had a sobering effect on him.

"I'll be right back," she whispered. 

Suddenly, she became paralyzed, frozen like a grotesque statue of herself.

"Ah, Miss Swan, so glad you could join us. Your parents and your... whatever these two are," the Evil Queen said, indicating Belle and Neal. "We've been waiting for you."

"My son!" Emma grunted. "Where's my son?!"

"So it is true," the Evil Queen continued. "You do have magic. Otherwise you'd not be able to speak in this state. Tell me, Savior of the Realm, how does it feel knowing that you couldn't even save your own family?"

"My... son..." Emma said, fighting for every word.

"Don't you mean _my_ son?" the Evil Queen asked. "Perhaps you shouldn't have worked so hard to keep him a secret from the kingdom, because now, one memory charm makes that boy all mine. Don't worry. I'll raise him to be true king, and one day, he'll cut down his Aunt Eva and Uncle Neal Leopold to take over their kingdom. Not that he'll know who they are."

The Evil Queen turned to Snow and David, smiling. "Don't you see? You hid the boy because you were ashamed of your daughter for having a bastard son. And now, because of that shame, I can steal your entire legacy. When I'm done, you'll be less than a footnote in the history of my kingdom."

The Evil Queen activated the spell, and the mirror began to glow. It began to exert its own gravity, dragging anyone inside the circle closer and closer. With one last wicked smile, the Evil Queen vanished.

Emma fought the spell, finding the cracks and pushing them wider, but she was running out of time. Her parents were too near the looking glass.

Neal and Belle disappeared in a puff of smoke, which didn't make sense. They weren't as close to the portal as her parents, so where did he go?

"Now, now, dearie," the Dark One said. "You can have your way with the royals, but my family is off-limits."

Emma couldn't see him, but it sounded as if he was standing close behind her.

"Perhaps you should teach them a lesson on minding their own business," the Evil Queen replied. "They turned up here, helping Snow and her family. I can't have that."

"Unfreeze them, and I'll take care of the rest, dearie."

"He's using you to kill the boy, Regina!" Belle suddenly shouted.

Emma focused harder on breaking the paralyzing curse, ignoring the cacophony that erupted around her. She regained control of her arms, and she began pulling her parents towards her, away from the portal.

Then a figure flew overhead, hurtling towards the looking glass.

"Henry!" she yelled.

Henry froze mid-air anyway, as if Emma had caught him, but she hadn't cast that spell yet.

"Regina!" Henry shouted. "Mom!"

Regina? Emma didn't recognize the name at first, but then she remembered the story Snow told her about her step-mother, Regina, long before she became the Evil Queen.

"Hold on, Henry!" the Evil Queen shouted back.

The Evil Queen had boasted about taking Snow's legacy, but Emma realized that hadn't been the real reason for sparing Henry. For all the Evil Queen's faults, she couldn't harm a ten-year-old, and she even seemed to care for him.

Emma smiled. She knew that her son was the kind of kid who melted hearts of stone, and she was proud of him, proud that he turned an enemy into a friend, even an ally.

That pride gave her the power she required. The paralysis broke, and she stepped out of the circle, dragging her parents and Henry with her. For a moment, all was well.

"Rumpel, no!" Belle shouted. 

Emma didn't see what happened, but Belle was thrown into the circle and dragged into the portal. Again, paralysis seized her, and the spell rescuing her parents and Henry floundered.

"Fear not, dearie," the Dark One whispered in her ear. "All the kingdom will know how the Savior of the Realm and her parents defeated the Evil Queen at the expense of their own lives!"

She watched in horror as her parents and Henry were swept into the portal. She couldn't do anything to stop it. She couldn't even shout their names.

Then the Evil Queen, now also a statue, was next to her. The Dark One unceremoniously shoved them both into the circle.

"Enjoy a land with no magic!" he gloated. "I hear it's lovely in the summertime!"

The looking glass towed them both in, and together they tumbled into a world of shattered glass.

 

Emma woke up in daylight. She was lying on the floor of the ballroom of the Dark Palace, which was covered with shattered glass. She stood up and wiped the broken mirror from herself. She was unhurt and alone.

After searching the grounds, she found no sign of Henry, her parents, Belle, or Regina, but she did find five horses tethered in the garden, including the one she took from the stables last night. That meant that she hadn't fallen through the looking glass with her family.

It was easy to panic, to allow fear to overcome her, but she fought it off. First things first, she needed to find Neal. Together they'd find a way to get her family back.

* * *

Hook listened to her story, committing each word to memory. Discovering he had recently bedded a stowaway royal had burned through his short fuse, but her tale put him off his temper long before she finished it. 

"You said the Dark One killed your love - "

"Neal," she interrupted. "Henry's father. His real name was Bae... Baelfire."

"Baelfire?" he repeated. "You mean to tell me that the Crocodile killed his own son?"

Emma looked up at him, surprised that he recognized the name.

"Bae spent time on this very ship when he was younger," Hook explained. "Back when I sailed the seas in Neverland. I thought he was still there."

"When he returned, he changed his name to Prince Neal so people wouldn't connect him to his father," she replied.

"Prince Neal, aye, I've heard of him. Surely your parents couldn't have objected to your marriage once you were already with child."

"They didn't. I did," she replied. "I, uh...well, when I was born, a Seer told my parents that I had a destiny. I would be the Savior of the Realm, conquering the most dangerous foes and slaying the worst of its monsters. According to the Second Sight, I should never take the crown and never marry. Anyone close to me would become a target, a feeble attempt to manipulate the Savior, eventually falling as a sacrifice for the realm."

"All this because a Seer told your parents some nonsense when you were born?" he asked.

"Neal was more than willing to ignore it. I wasn't. If it was true, then my son would never be safe. So when I came of age, I renounced the crown, and I disappeared for a time on a mission to protect the realm. That's what we said, anyway. In truth, I had my son in secret. Henry became my whole world. A world sometimes briefly interrupted by chimera or ogres, but only ever briefly. Neal and I never married, but for ten years, I was happy. We were happy."

"In your tale, this woman Belle said something about the Crocodile going after your boy," Hook said. "Why would he try to harm his own grandson?"

"The Seer," she replied with venom in her voice. "The Dark One can see the future sometimes, but not very well, and he could never see my future. So one day, he went to the Seer, and she told him that my son would be his undoing. He couldn't just go after him, not without losing Neal... so he got Regina to do his dirty work. When that didn't work, he did it himself and wiped everyone's memories. Except for mine, but only because he thought I got pulled through the portal. My magic is the reason I'm here and not with my son. So I decided that, if Henry couldn't fulfill the prophecy about being the Dark One's undoing, then I would."

Hook regretted ever asking about her lineage. Her loss had been so recent, only a few years ago, and he could hear the pangs of those fresh wounds in her voice.

He reached out for her hand, and she seemed comforted, by the gesture.

"I must know, what became of Baelfire?"

"After... after I figured out what happened, I took all the broken shards of the looking glass and went to Neal for help. I restored his memories, and we agreed that I would tell my brother and sister that our parents fell battling the Evil Queen. It was the best way to keep them and the kingdom safe until we could figure out a plan. That was when I thought we could pull my family back through with the right spell. When we figured out that would never work, we decided to banish his father to the same land... if we succeeded, we could follow. He'd either figure out how to return us, or... at least we'd be with our son."

"I take it things did not go according to plan."

"The Dark One figured out what we were doing. He changed the spell so the portal would send people to wherever they were thinking of. Neal was drawn in before, and the Dark One destroyed the rest of the looking glass and just... left. Two days later, the Shadow of Neverland dropped Neal in front of me, poisoned, and he died in my arms."

"Dreamshade."

"Apparently Peter Pan had a feud with his father," she replied. "Neal must've thought about Neverland when he fell through he portal."

Silence filled his quarters, and she bowed her head in shame and misery.

"Either you are quite the actor or your tale is true," he said, unwilling to dismiss her but also unwilling to show too much compassion. "And I doubt there's an actor in all the realms who could pull off that deceit."

"Thank you for believing me."

"Eat something, lass. We've a full day ahead."


	2. The Helm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hook shows Emma how to be a pirate.

Emma felt sick after telling her story, but Hook insisted she eat something. The fact that he believed her gave her the strength to swallow down some bread and fruit before giving up.

He led her out to the deck, where the crew was already working. 

"Captain on deck!" someone shouted.

"Chief Officer Hawking, gather everyone, I have an announcement to make," Hook ordered.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Hawking said.

Emma bit her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. She didn't think pirates actually spoke like that. As the crew gathered round, and she resisted the urge to hide behind Hook to escape their stares.

"Listen up, lads!" Hook announced. "We have a special guest aboard with us, the Lady Emily. I suggest you get used to her, as she'll be with us for some time. Now, back to it! We've a port to reach with some haste!"

And just like that, the crew scattered around the ship.

She spent all day trying to read him but to no avail. He went on as if they hadn't had a deeply depressing conversation about her entire life over bread.

"Have you ever sailed before?" he asked.

"Only as a passenger."

"That's a bloody shame," he said. "Come to the helm."

He relieved the man at the wheel and offered it to her.

"Go on, Swan, it won't bite," he said quietly in her ear.

She put her hands on it at random, unsure how to hold it.

"Good," he said. "A good strong grip to hold her steady. Do you know your bearings?"

"Only starboard and bow."

"Aye, the bow is fore, that's straight ahead. The stern is aft, that's right behind us. As for starboard, that's right. Port is left."

Emma noticed the 'S' and 'P' engraved in front of her. "Did you carve a cheat sheet for yourself?"

"In fact, I carved them for Baelfire," he replied. "When I taught him at this helm. Take us three notches to starboard. Go on."

"You taught Neal how to steer?" she asked as she turned the wheel.

"He was just a boy back then."

It was strange. Hook didn't see much older than her, but then again, neither did Neal. Perhaps she enjoyed the company of older men whose aging had been slowed by Neverland. She smiled at the thought.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing that again anytime soon," he said.

"What?"

"Your smile, Sw - Emily," he replied.

* * *

The day had gotten off to a rocky start, but things were looking up. They spent most of the day on the bridge, and much of it at the helm, which was how he liked to spend his days best.

After lunch, he ordered Deckhand Strike to prepare a basin for the end of the day, even though he knew they wouldn't have enough fresh water until the weather saw fit to give them rain. It'd give her something to look forward to between now and when they finally exact revenge against the Crocodile.

"Steady on, Swan... Emily," he said, correcting himself for the fifth time that day. "Chief Officer Hawking will take the helm."

He and Emma retired to his quarters, where Strike had already set dinner. As requested, the portable basin had been placed in the far corner of his chambers, taking up far too much room for something with no current use.

"I have a few things to attend to, love, so don't stand on ceremony," he said. "Eat. I'll be back before the hour."

"Is that a tub?" she asked.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, rations being what they are, we don't have the fresh water to fill it yet," he replied. "Once it rains we will. I mean it when I say don't stand on ceremony, Swan. You've been on your feet in the sun all day. Eat something."

He left and made the rounds to his officers on deck. He could've waited for them to report in, but his father had taught him that it was important to give a lady a few moments alone each day. If she could be trusted, then there was no need to keep watch on her, and if she couldn't be trusted, best to find out as soon as possible.

Hawking had the helm, and Mister Smee had everything else under control, boding well for another quiet night.

When he returned to his quarters, he found Emma had rearranged things to make room for the basin, which was now in the center of the room. It was filled with the clearest water he'd ever seen, and it was steaming hot. 

"You're just in time," she said. 

"Where did you get the water?" he asked. "And how did you heat it?"

"Didn't I tell you? I have magic," she replied. She began undressing and added, "Aren't you joining me?"

"Seems impolite to refuse a former princess," he said with a cocky smile.

But it was a veneer, and he knew it. Her invitation caused an escalation in his heart rate, and there was no reason for that.

* * *

It was a terrible idea, and Emma knew that. In all likelihood, Hook asked for the basin so he'd have another excuse to get her naked, but part of her, the stupid part, saw it as an apology.

And if it was an apology, shouldn't they share it?

He stripped quickly, but her borrowed garments were unfamiliar to her, which slowed her down.

"Do you need assistance, love?" 

The words were whispered in her ear, and Hook's hand trailed down her flank, barely touching. A shiver went through her spine, heat spread from her stomach to her groin, and the tiniest of moans escaped her. 

Suddenly, his left arm wrapped around her neck while his right arm grabbed her torso and pulled her close so her entire body was flush against his. Instinctively her hands clutched at the arm around her neck. 

"Moaning already? I've scarcely touched you," he growled.

Her heart raced as she felt his breath on her cheek and shoulder. She should be terrified. Any sensible woman who had a pirate grab her like Hook did would be afraid, especially with one arm around her neck, but she was far too turned on to be scared. Her breathing became shallow as his grip tightened.

"Have I left you wanting, Swan?" he asked as his fingers began to stroke her hip bones.

She gasped, even though he just sliding his fingers over he bare skin. She could feel his erection on her lower back through her tunic, and she wished she had thought to remove it before her trousers.

A few minutes ago, she was fine, but now she seemed incapable of forming a sentence or finding a word.

"I've never left a woman wanting, Swan," he continued, his voice low and loaded with sex. He kissed her cheek, then her shoulder. "Perhaps I've yet to fulfill a specific desire that you've been imagining of late. As a gentlemen, I feel compelled to satisfy you. If only I knew what it was you so desperately wanted..."

He relaxed his grip on her and dropped his right arm, and she realized he wasn't holding her to him. She was pressing herself into his body. His hand stroked her thigh, gradually moving up and in, and she couldn't think anymore.

She turned to kiss him, but he stopped her, gripping her tightly with both arms again.

"Tell me, Swan, what have you been fantasizing about all day?" he asked.

She hadn't been fantasizing all day, certainly. At most it was since lunchtime. Or maybe since he taught her how to steer at the helm, standing so close to her.

"I... at the helm..." she said, catching her breath. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she really answering his question? The words kept slipping out of her mouth, "Taking me... at the helm from behind..."

In one fluid motion, he pulled the tunic off over her head. She spun around and pulled him into a kiss, which he met with equal force, his hand quickly undoing her bra and his hook tugging down her underwear.

She dropped one of her hands and took hold of his hard-on, tightening as she rubbed up and down.

It was his turn to moan, breaking away from their kiss. His eyes bored into hers as he backed her into the shelf at the foot of his bed. Somehow she maintained her grip, and when he kissed her again, she increased the friction.

* * *

Hook struggled to maintain control over his faculties. Emma Swan didn't just have magic, she was a bloody enchantress. Seeing her struggle while removing her trousers was enough to make him more aroused than he'd been in a hundred years.

Then she had said, "Taking me... at the helm from behind..." 

Those words would be forever burned into his brain, and it was only fitting that he ensured Emma Swan the same fate. He didn't have a helm in his quarters, and the only thing remotely similar was the ladder. It would have to do.

Her hand rubbed against him, forcing him to use every bit of self control that he had not to take her against the shelf. His hand broke her grip on him as gently as possible, then he spun them both around so her back was against the ladder.

She smiled, her eyes solid black as she dragged him into another kiss. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and when she withdrew, her teeth tugged at his bottom lip, the perfect mix of pleasure and pain.

Then she took a step up the ladder, just high enough to compensate for the difference in their heights.

His fingers slipped between her legs, separating her soaked folds as his thumb circled her clit. Again, he had hardly touched her, but the moan that emanated from her was enticingly lewd. She was so wet that two of his fingers glided inside, and when he pressed the third and stroked that spot, it absolutely wrecked her. 

"Hook!" she shouted as her hands grabbed his shoulders for support.

He couldn't wait any longer. He turned her, a bit more forcefully than he'd meant to, but she didn't seem to mind, as her hands immediately came up and braced her against the ladder.

His eyes indulged in the feast before him, the sinewy body of Emma Swan: her glutes and hips, her long blond hair falling over her back, her breasts just visible as she bent forward, all perfect, all marred by bruises from their previous escapades.

Hook wrapped himself around her, pressing his lips into her neck before he sucked hard on the sweet spot in her neck. She bucked again and grinded her rear into his hips and over his throbbing cock, spurring him on. His hand went to her breast, which were soft and full with nipples harder than onyx.

He drew back far enough to line himself up and plunged in, and both of them moaned at the new friction. She was so warm and tight that his legs buckled slightly, and he leaned into her for support.

"Hook," she said again, this time a plea. 

She clenched around him as she tipped her hips forward, allowing him deeper. Was it possible for him to become any harder?

He used his hook and left arm to brace himself against the ladder before he began to move. Despite his appetite, his first thrusts were slow and shallow, and she pushed back, clearly wanted him to go faster.

"Hook, please..."

His good hand dropped to her hip, adjusting them both to find the angle where his thrust went straight to her G-spot, and she told him the instant that he found it from her mewling. 

Then he began in earnest, drawing himself almost completely out of her before slamming back in, his entire body tightening up as he came closer. He went faster than before but kept the rhythm steady, trying to draw this out for as long as possible. As much as he loved to fulfill a woman's fantasy, he knew he wasn't going to last, so he dropped his hand to her center, fingers circling her clit.

She pushed back, driving him to go faster, harder, and he gave into it. Moments later, Emma cried out and collapsed forward onto the ladder with her walls tightening around him as she climaxed. And he couldn't help but follow after her, his thrusts becoming more erratic until he finally found release inside her, collapsing over top of her.

His mouth found her neck again, and she turned her head to kiss him. He was hungry for her lips, so he indulged despite the awkward angle and his current shortness of breath. Hook regretted pulling out of her, but he wanted to hold her against himself.

She spun around for a full kiss, pushing him back to the shelf, her hands everywhere.

The kiss broke apart, and their foreheads touched as they both panted for breath. His eyes caught hers, and he saw his own emotions reflected back at him: surprise, desire, satiation, and hope.

* * *

Emma hadn't had sex since Neal died, nearly three years ago, but she couldn't remember a time like this. She went from happy to over-the-top turned on in under five minutes, and he had done exactly as she asked. 

Well, as exactly as possible, given the helm wasn't available.

And when they were done, he wrapped her in his arms and held her close, leaning into the shelves behind him. He didn't say anything or do anything other than run his fingers through her hair.

She decided it was time to break the silence.

"I think the water's cooled off," she said. "Hold on."

She reached out and touched the water, which wasn't even lukewarm anymore, and focused on raising the temperature. She felt the magic flow out of her as steam went up.

"Much better."

"Bloody hell, you do have magic," he said. "Did you make the basin larger as well?"

"It wouldn't have fit both of us if I hadn't," she replied, not bothering to hide her smug smile. "After you, Captain."

He removed his hook, revealing the scarred wrist underneath, and placed it on its shelf before stepping into the tub. 

"I haven't had a hot water bath like this in ages," he said as he settled in. "Least of all with a beautiful lady. Aren't you joining me?"

Emma hadn't realized that she'd been staring, watching his naked body move, every muscle visible flexing and relaxing.

He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing herself to be drawn into the warmth of the water and his embrace. He pressed gentle kisses into her cheek and down her neck as his hand interlaced with hers.

Killian Jones just might be the death of her.


	3. Devil Seam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jolly Roger comes under attack.

The next week passed in a blur of rum, sex, and clear skies. Hook forced himself to be patient, waiting for the right time to solidify their plans against the Dark One.

At least, that's what he told himself.

The truth - and he wasn't one to deny it outright - was that he was rather enjoying his time with Emma Swan. Buying himself a week or two of leisure before enacting his revenge seemed only sensible. On the other hand, he'd waited centuries to skin the bloody Crocodile, and the news of Bae's demise renewed his desire to end the Dark One's existence.

Hook took the time to get to know the lady, and while she might have renounced her title, Emma Swan was still a lady. In this day and age, most people learned a handful of skills and, if they were especially lucky, a trade from their parents. She had talent with bow, blade, spear, and morning star, not to mention knowledge of herbs, potions and magic. She knew how to mend clothes, forge metal... If the skill had practical application, Swan excelled at it. In fact, when Mister Smee volunteered to show her how to tie knots, she mastered the lot in one day.

She had no love for poetry and no fondness for jewelry, or as far as Hook could tell, any kind of art or beauty. He wondered if this was an innate truth about her or a recent development, a byproduct of the loss of her family. Regardless, by all accounts, she was his kind of woman.

On the tenth day of their voyage, he invited her up to the crow's nest. It provided a fine view of the ocean on all sides, and it was one of the only places on the ship with guaranteed privacy.

"Up you go, Swan," he said, indicating the ladder. 

She didn't hesitate before the climb, and he didn't bother hiding his smile. He followed a few steps behind, enjoying the view as he went.

"Is there a reason I'm up here?" she asked as he reached the top.

"Aye, the view is quite spectacular on a day such as this."

* * *

Emma took in the view of the ocean from the crow's nest. There was no sign of land in sight, and the sun's reflection cascaded over the water. It was beautiful.

"Aside from the view, there's also no chance of being overhead," Hook said.

"I'm guessing there's something in particular you don't want someone else to overhear."

"Aye," he replied. "This plan of yours against the Crocodile. What's to stop us from doing it, say, right now?"

"We're at a disadvantage out at sea, and if we want a real edge, then we need to make him think that he's in control."

"Any particulars on that end?"

"He's set traps across the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest meant to lure anyone seeking to destroy him," she replied. "He gains insight into his enemies and either destroys their plans, kills them, or both."

"I assume these traps only become apparent after they've captured their prey."

"Rumor has it, there's a man in the Southern Isles who can find anything so long as you have a picture."

"Aye, near Arendelle," he said. 

"Trap."

"How did you come to that?"

"Using magic to find one object that could be anywhere is difficult. Finding any object that could be anywhere? Nearly impossible. Suddenly a man with no name pops up on the edge of the world with rumors touting his gift," she said. "Because of Neal, I spent time with the Dark One, got to know his style, his way of things. This man who can find something with just a picture should be famous, not a rumor. There should be fairy stories about how he found long lost heirlooms and super-powerful weapons from ancient times, but there aren't. Because he hasn't. Because he can't."

"Because he's just a ruse," Hook said. "You're certain?"

"Certain enough to find the picture Neal had of the dagger and start the journey there," she replied. "Till I bumped into you, of course."

"Now that you have, using your words, bumped into me, does that plan still stand?" he asked.

"If you agree to it. See, once we arrive, and I say 'we' but it should only be one of us who approaches this guy," she began.

"I shall do it," he said. "Assuming, of course, that I'm the bait with you waiting to strike."

"That's right," she said. "While you're talking to this guy in the Southern Isles, you need to mention that the Sorcerer's Box is in your possession."

"So the Crocodile will believe I've walked into his trap with something that he desperately wants," Hook said. "And you're certain he'll bring the dagger with him?"

"Yeah. He won't be worried about you finding it if it's with him, and he needs it to open the box," she replied. "He'll come because he thinks he caught you with his ruse. He'll feel safe doing it. That's when I strike."

"And you are prepared to enact this plan in three weeks time, when we arrive in the Southern Isles?" 

"I'm ready to cut his throat and disembowel him now," she replied, feeling the ire build up inside her. She continued, forcing herself to be calm and rational. "But I... we only get one shot at this, and it's better to work with the upper hand."

Using his hook, he pulled her into a long kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth and his hand grabbing her behind, bringing her close. Her hands instinctively went to his hair and chest. As he pulled away, she snagged his lower lip with her teeth, gently tugging at it. 

"Swan, I - "

"What is that?" she asked, interrupting.

Emma had been staring into his eyes when she sensed something closing in, forcing her to look away from the man wrapped around her. From up high, it appeared to be little more than a shadow under the water, but something about it gave her an uneasy, even queasy, feeling.

Hook turned his head to see where she was pointing, and his entire demeanor changed in an instant. He broke away from her and went to edge of the platform.

"Ready the cannons!" he shouted. "Approaching from the depths from stern and starboard! All hands on deck!"

The crew began racing around the deck, and he turned to her and said, "Emma, go to my quarters and stay there until whatever manner of monster this is has either passed us by or been slain."

She began, "Hook, I can fight - "

"That's an order, Swan!" he interrupted. "I can handle any monster the sea can throw at me, but you are the only one who can ensure that I have my revenge against the Crocodile. Stay in my quarters, do you understand?"

She nodded, and he descended from the crow's nest.

She took a moment to look out at the shadow in the waters that was fast approaching the ship. It could be a whale, as they were known to surface for air, but as soon as she thought it, she knew she was wrong.

It was a sea serpent.

* * *

Hook reached the deck as the crew finished loading the cannons and went straight to the helm. Minutes later, he caught a glimpse of Emma running across the deck toward his quarters, and he breathed a sigh of relief that she was out of harm's way.

He didn't let himself think why.

The telltale wake of a sea serpent began to slap against the ship, and sure enough, the gray-blue body of an undulating serpent appeared off the starboard side.

"It's passing us by, Captain!" Mister Smee shouted.

But Hook doubted that. A creature such as this rarely approached a ship and simply allowed it to pass. For a few minutes, the Jolly Roger continued in absolute silence with her crew tense and at the ready. The only sound was the rapping of the waves from the creature's wake.

_Clunk-thunk!_

The sound made his entire body tense.

"Hawking," he whispered. "Order our best fighters to port, weapons at the ready. Quietly as possible."

Hawking nodded, ran, and after about a minute, their ten best fighters spread out, covering the port side of the ship. Like the rest of the crew, most of them had lighter blades, such as spadroons or rapiers, the exceptions being Sabra and Cypress, who both carried broadswords, and Camilla, who used a pair of long daggers.

Everyone kept still and silent, straining to hear anything besides the wind.

Scrapping was the first thing he heard, followed by a the harsh crack of something much harder than water on wood. Suddenly, two creatures scrambled over the port side. At first glance, they appeared to be men in armor, but a closer look revealed that they were not men at all. 

Hook had never seen their like before, though he had heard of their kind. Their faces were wide and slack like frogs, their arms short with long pincers like crabs, and they had six spindly legs. If legends were true, then their skin was hard as bone. 

"Attack!" Hook shouted. "Their eyes! Go for the eyes and mouths!"

Two more leapt onto the deck, and as his crew charged the creatures down, the monsters screeched a war cry. 

"Gunners stand fast! Hawking, take the helm!" he ordered. "Watch for that blasted creature's return, order the men to fire once you see its body come above water!"

Then Hook drew his cutlass and joined the fray.

* * *

Emma waited in Hook's quarters, feeling thoroughly foolish. She had spent the last ten days in a haze of euphoria, ecstasy, and the smell of salt. She wondered if the ocean was some kind of aphrodisiac because she had never desired a man nor fantasized about him the way she did with Hook.

Baelfire was her true love, and she never had reason to sleep with anyone else. After he died, she couldn't imagine touching someone else, let alone wanting them, not for years. But then she saw Hook, and she felt the pangs of desire. She almost hadn't recognized it.

And here she was, wondering if the first man she's wanted since Neal might wind up the dinner of a sea serpent. 

The cacophony of battle - the sound of metal on metal, screams, shouting - became peppered with explosions as the cannons fired. What the hell was she doing down here, hiding?

She climbed the ladder, drawing her sword at the top behind the door. The cannons exploded again, and she pushed outside.

Several crew members were dead, a few had been wounded and pulled to safety where others applied bandages. She raced past them and saw three carcasses of Henchmen of the Sea, with their shell-like exteriors cracked and oozing a gray-blue substance all over the deck.

Most of the crew had scattered, either because they were injured or tending to the wounded, save for those manning the cannons and Hawking, who was at the helm. She briefly saw him barking orders at the gunners, but her attention became wrapped up in the battle between Hook and the last of the Henchmen aboard.

Cypress, wielding a broadsword, was fighting alongside Hook, ineffectively slashing at the creature's vice-like claws while Hook thrust his cutlass at the beast's face like a lance. But with six legs and weapons it could never drop, the monster outflanked them, knocking one of the gunners overboard and cracking Cypress's chest between its pincers in the one grotesquely fluid motion.

Emma sprinted to Hook's side, leaping over bodies and debris. She crashed into rope that had gone slack, probably cut loose during the fight, becoming tangled in it. Before she could loose herself, Hook plunged his cutlass into the monster's eye, and its entire body convulsed as its six legs splayed out. It collapsed, but Cypress was already dead.

She shoved the rope off herself and felt a shadow fall over her. She looked up and saw the head of a great sea serpent, its jaws at least two men wide and three deep. The cannons fired but the projectiles bounced off its neck without leaving a scratch, and its great, gapping maw opened.

It was going for Hook.

He was struggling to remove his cutlass from the Henchman's head, and the serpent was descending, apparently impervious to injury.

It was magical.

She took the tiny jar that she kept on a necklace, unstopped it, and hurried to Hook, knocking him out of the way of the sea serpent while and hurling the bottle into its open mouth.

As soon as the contents of the jar touched it, the creature froze, paralyzed, and its head crashed to the deck, forcing Emma to roll out of the way. Once she was clear, she raised her sword and brought it down on its neck, great glops of blood spilling over her and onto the deck as she sliced again and again until its head was completely severed. The body recoiled, as if it had a mind of its own, spattering blood across the ship as it returned to the sea.

"I thought I told you to stay below deck," Hook said, barely a whisper in her ear.

"For the entire fight? I must've misheard you," she replied. "Couldn't let you have all the glory."

"I'm glad you didn't, elsewise much of this crew would've been down that creature's gullet."

"We should throw this thing's head overboard, and its Henchmen, too," she said.

"Is that an order?" he asked, smug smile on his face. "When last I checked, I was still the captain of this vessel."

"Just a suggestion, captain."

"Hawking, is it all clear?" Hook shouted. 

"All clear, captain!" Hawking replied. 

"Gather the wounded below deck!" Hook ordered. "Dispose of the creature's head and bodies, then hoist the sails full! Put as much distance between us and these bloody beasts as possible!"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

"Come with me, Swan," Hook said, taking her arm with his hook and leading her back toward his cabin.

"I can help with the wounded," she said. "I might be able to heal some of them."

"Perhaps, but not a soul will let you touch them while you're covered with the blood of a sea serpent, love. Wash the blood off yourself first. Then join me below deck."

She nodded and ducked into his quarters. Once she saw herself in the mirror, she understood his concern. The sea serpent's blood had coated her hair and clothing. Normally, it would take hours to wash out, but she used a drop of her magic to make it disappear.

But not all of it did. So she tried again, and again, some of it vanished. What was wrong with her magic?

She took a deep breath and stretched. It was only then that she realized she was trembling. But that was ridiculous. She was a warrior hardened by battle, known for slaying monsters. Why would an enchanted sea-beast shake her?

_Because I almost lost him._

The thought reared its ugly head, and she choked on it, coughing like she'd caught something in her throat.

* * *

Hook had lost ten good men, so there was certainly nothing to smile about. But seeing Emma Swan cut the head of the monstrous serpent, not stopping until it was completely decapitated, with her long blond hair steeped in its blood... that image was burned into his mind. It made him want to smile, for she was fierce and beautiful and spectacular. 

_And she's mine._

The thought was sobering. They had an accord, a plan, and fantastic sex, but beyond an enterprise forged over a common enemy, they were both free agents, neither having claim over the other. She could quit his bed tonight, and he would have no recourse but to allow her to have her own or seek out someone else's. 

He bit the inside of his cheek. It was sensible for them to be together, two dead people who had been alone for a long time, their vengeance so near he could taste it. But they were no more together now than they were on their first night, close quarters aside.

Emma joined him below deck, somehow ridding herself of blood at an alarmingly swift rate.

"Take me to those with the worst wounds," she said. "I might not be able to heal everything, but I could do enough so they'll survive to heal on their own."

Most of the injured had broken bones and deep gashes. He watched as she went from person to person, and with a touch, she revived them. Hutch was mortally wounded when one leg was nearly removed by pincers, but he retained his appendage (with considerable scar tissue) after Emma was done with him. Plenty of crew required recuperation, but all of the wounded survived.

Darkness fell before they were through and able to retire to his quarters. She was so exhausted that she needed help down the ladder. 

"Thank you, Swan," he said. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did," she replied as she sat at the table. "And I have some bad news."

"Is it worse than loosing ten of my men to a sea serpent and its diabolical servants?"

"Yes."

He joined her at the table, and, seeing the look on her face, one of regret and self-disappointment, he couldn't help himself, he took her hand to comfort her.

"Tell me, Swan."

"That serpent wasn't just some sea monster attracted to your ship. It had help. Magical help. That's why your cannons couldn't pierce its hide. The only reason I was able to decapitate it was that I stunned it with squid ink," she said.

"Aye, I've heard it can still any magical being, no matter how powerful."

"You don't need much, which is good, because it's hard to come by. But I used all I had on that sea serpent," she said. "And I have no way of getting more of it."

His heart began to race, out of anger or joy, he couldn't tell.

"You're saying there's none left to use on the Crocodile," he said.

"And we need it to stun him... Hook, I'm sorry."

"No apologies, love."

"I should've thought of something else. A stunning spell or a desiccating curse, but - "

"Thank you, Emma," he interrupted. "For saving my life and the lives of my crew."

She relaxed, and he began to undress and wash up. She followed his lead, crawling into bed just before he did.

He curled around her, wrapping his good arm over her and interweaving his fingers in hers. He could almost feel her mind racing. 

So he whispered in her ear, "Had you not intervened, I would likely not be here. Not to bury my men or to exact my revenge. Worry not, love. If we need more squid ink, then we'll find a way to obtain it. Sleep."

Hook waited until her breathing became slow and steady, and he then drifted off to sleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not! Her Dark Works continues with Episode #3 "[Mal de Mer](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5269967/chapters/12160085)."

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this episode comes from the traditional sea chantey "Dead Horse Chantey."
> 
> They say old man your horse will die,  
> And they say so and they hope so.  
> O, poor old man your horse will die,  
> O, poor old man!  
> It's up aloft the horse must go  
> They say so and they hope  
> We'll hoist him up and bury him low  
> Oh poor old man!  
> \-- Dead Horse Chantey


End file.
